Sundberg, Lorentzon fuel club’s 11-0-0 run
A packed field of 48 2009-born teams participated in the 2023 Göteborg Ice Hockey Cup last week in Gothenburg, Sweden. One program among the vast field of participants stood out from the pack with a pristine championship run.
That team was Nacka HK.
For those unfamiliar with the tournament, six groups of teams were each split into four divisions. The top two teams from the initial days of play would move on to a new playoff group. From there, a third playoff bracket for the group would be created. Teams in this group would battle to create seeding for the semifinal and final matches.
Nacka Survives and Advances through GIC
Nacka began its slate of games in a group with Brynäs IF, Lorenskög IK and Hisingens IK, going 3-0-0 and outscoring them 23-5. The second batch Nacka would be placed into consisted of Brynäs, along with TPS Turku and Bäcken HC. A second 3-0-0 run of play would be in the cards, this time by holding opponents to just seven goals across the three games.
With a 6-0-0 marker to that point, Nacka showed why it was deserving of the No. 5 spot in Sweden in the World Rankings. Their road ahead, however, would get more difficult, with matchups against No. 7 Kållered SK, No. 8 AIK Hockey and No. 9 IF Malmö Redhawks.
Undaunted by the task before them, they dispatched Malmö 3-0 in their opening tilt. After edging out a 5-4 victory over Kållered, they handedly bested AIK 6-0. A third undefeated run set the stage for a seminal appearance against No. 2 IFK Täby HC.
The final two games of Nacka’s run would prove to be the toughest. In a tight, low-scoring 1-0 game, Nacka was able to knock off Täby. The only hurdle remaining in their way to finishing with an unblemished record was a rematch with Kållered.
And the fans would get what they wanted in a spirited final contest between the two.
Championship Drama Between Nacka and Kållered
Gustav Corneliusson would kick off the scoring in the first period, where things would stay until late in the second. Nacka’s offensive dynamo Oliver Sundberg would tie things up on the power play, forcing overtime.
After both sides exchanged chance after chance in a thrilling overtime period, the game headed to a shootout. Sundberg secured a goal on his first attempt, but the next four shooters would miss. Albin Lindström would tie the shootout on the fifth attempt, but then missed his next shot. Sundberg would also miss his second opportunity, as would Wiggo Forsberg. As a result, the win was there for the taking if Sunberg could bury his third chance. With the drama reaching a climactic point, Sundberg played hero once again and beat Kållered’s William Thegerström for the second time in the skills contest.
The bow was put on Nacka’s 11-0-0 record and Series A gold medal.
In total, Nacka’s potent offense was bolstered by Sundberg’s 24 goals and 30 points, good enough totals for second most points of the tournament. Love Lorentzon’s nine goals and 20 points would be second for the team, followed by William Canemyr (8G, 10A) and Carl Eiritz (5G, 11A). Four players nabbing over 80 points across 11 games, proving Nacka has depth most clubs dream about.
Joakim Dahl tops leaderboard at Nacka Trophy
No other player at the U13 Nacka Trophy found their name on the scoresheet more than Joakim Dahl. Playing in seven games for Haninge Anchors HC, he tallied 11 goals and 18 points in 11 games. Leading his club all the way to an appearance in the championship game against HS Riga.
After kicking things off with a 10-1 loss to Festival HT, Haninge rattled off five consecutive wins to reach the final match with Riga. Two highlights of their streak were a 9-2 victory over No. 10 SDE Hockey and besting Festival in a rematch, this time in the semifinals, 2-1. Dahl’s best individual performance came against the No. 8 Lindingö Vikings, where he collected four points (3G, 1A).
Despite putting up a valiant effort in the final matchup by Haninge, Riga pushed through in a 5-4 win. They were the only opponent able to keep Dahl from netting any points in a game. Not an easy feat but a large part of why they were able to skate away with the gold medal.
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